Those of you that go twice or more each year, and are from Northeast.....

[Paul in CT]

We have been flying Delta Express out of Hartford (BDL) instead of SWA because we like to assigned seating and better flight times for us. Also, I have yet to find a cheaper flight than Delta on SWA to Orlando from Hartford.

In April they discontinued their 10:00 NS flight and now have only a 7:00 AM NS flight on Song. Since I have yet to fly Song, I don't know how it works exactly. It appears there are still assigned seats, but you load the plane a bit differently. I recently heard them calling out "zones' to board while waiting for our August Delta Express flight.

 

[twinmomplus2]

Gail, Are you saying if your price goes down you can recoup your funds? even on the internet specials. 13 of us flew in August for 150ish roundtrip. then they threw specials of $49 each way on. But we were already confirmed and figured by the time we paid the change fee we would be at the same amount. did I totally miss somthing there?

 

[disneychick05]

We decided to try out the Amtrack Auto train this past April when we went to WDW. You pick the train up just south of D.C. at 4pm. It is a 16 hour trip and you arrive in Sanford, FL at 8am. WDW is 15 min. from there. It was nice to have our car with us. It is a little pricey: $870 for two adults and one child under 2 yrs. ...This price was with a buy one get one 1/2 off discount. You do get a nice dinner with wine, a movie with snacks, and breakfast in the morning (all included). We also had a small sleeping car so this makes the price go up. It was a nice way to get there. We would definitely do it again.

 

[pirateparrot]

Originally posted by GAIL HAYDEN
I also like the fact that you can change your flights with no charge and if the price goes down, you get the credit held for one year from the original reservation with no change charge. Considering this, I will take the cattle call.

I have heard this mentioned here before so I need to ask. Does SW do this automatically or do you have to monitor and call if the fares go down or they run a special?

Thanks

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by Paul in CT
We have been flying Delta Express out of Hartford (BDL) instead of SWA because we like to assigned seating and better flight times for us. Also, I have yet to find a cheaper flight than Delta on SWA to Orlando from Hartford.

In April they discontinued their 10:00 NS flight and now have only a 7:00 AM NS flight on Song. Since I have yet to fly Song, I don't know how it works exactly. It appears there are still assigned seats, but you load the plane a bit differently. I recently heard them calling out "zones' to board while waiting for our August Delta Express flight.

My last flight on Sept.1 was 111.50 n/s rt. Delta's was way more than that.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by twinmomplus2
Gail, Are you saying if your price goes down you can recoup your funds? even on the internet specials. 13 of us flew in August for 150ish roundtrip. then they threw specials of $49 each way on. But we were already confirmed and figured by the time we paid the change fee we would be at the same amount. did I totally miss somthing there?

SWA does not charge a change fee. If there is a price drop and you rebook, they hold the funds as a credit for a year after the first reservation date. IE: you book April 1st, the fare drops, you rebook on June 1. The difference is available for future travel within one year of April 1. Yes, you did miss the boat on the change. I am not sure what happens if you book a group fare, but, I do know what happens when you book "normally".

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by pirateparrot
I have heard this mentioned here before so I need to ask. Does SW do this automatically or do you have to monitor and call if the fares go down or they run a special?

Thanks

You need to keep checking. I signed up for their weekly email.
It is sent on Tuesday. I don't call, I do it right on the net, they have this nifty feature called "change itenary (sp?)" under the travel center tab. It is so easy and I change at least once for every trip I have booked.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by Paul in CT
We have been flying Delta Express out of Hartford (BDL) instead of SWA because we like to assigned seating and better flight times for us. Also, I have yet to find a cheaper flight than Delta on SWA to Orlando from Hartford.

In April they discontinued their 10:00 NS flight and now have only a 7:00 AM NS flight on Song. Since I have yet to fly Song, I don't know how it works exactly. It appears there are still assigned seats, but you load the plane a bit differently. I recently heard them calling out "zones' to board while waiting for our August Delta Express flight.

Paul,
I used to fly Delta all the time, but, since my flights on SWA are always less expensive than Delta's and the seats are larger and the pitch one of the most generous in most airlines and there is no drink cart blocking the aisle for most of the flight, I still opt for the A, B, C boarding. That is the beauty of air travel, options.

 

[goofy4tink]

I just sat down and figured out what we would spend doing our trips both ways...driving vs. flying. Driving, with a stop each way, would cost us about $550. Flying would cost about $600 for 3 of us. That's a no-brainer!!!
It looks like we'll be looking at SW a little more closely from now on. I just signed up for their emails too. Thanks Gail for all the info. You guys are all terrific. Looks like my dh, dd and I will be able to make more frequent trips to WDW!!!!

 

[joepoe]

We live in Chicago, not the Northeast, and it would take us 20 hours to drive. We go twice a year, but make our ressies at 11 months to try and get the best airfare. For five, it is $1,100 to get down there. If we were in Atlanta or closer, we would drive.

 

[labr]

We drive - its not really bad - we can make it in 16.5-17 hours. On the way down, we stop in Jacksonville and finish the trip the next day to save the points. On the way home is it straight through. Our DD is not a fan of flying and its just too costly - no good deals around here.

Besides, with driving I can take whatever we need and not worry. A few movies and good books and the DD is happy.

 

[BobH]

We usually go somewhere within the DVC system - OKW, Vero and HH twice a year. This year my wife and I will make two trips. My daughter made one. I have been using American Airlines because I have a Citibank Credit card that allows miles and I run my kids college tuition through the cards but obviously arrange for other type loans or cash before interest payments occur. I usually have had enough miles to get at lest one free ticket per trip and I buy one because I can build milage if a ticket is purchased in my name. Now that my college bills are coming to an end I am considering changing over to Sothwests program.
It appears to take less milage per ticket than American. About $19,000 vs $25,000.

The only thing I didn't like about the program is that the credits you gain towards free tickets seem to expire every year. If Gail Hayden is still reading this post maybe she could shed some light on this?

 

[patsal]

Three plus times per year. We always fly. I scope out bargain flights through the airlines or through travelocity. DH doesn't have enough vacation time to allow for car travel.

 

[Denine]

We always go to FLA at least twice a year. This year it is 4 times. We always drive. Can't wait to get on the open road!

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by goofy4tink
I just sat down and figured out what we would spend doing our trips both ways...driving vs. flying. Driving, with a stop each way, would cost us about $550. Flying would cost about $600 for 3 of us. That's a no-brainer!!!
It looks like we'll be looking at SW a little more closely from now on. I just signed up for their emails too. Thanks Gail for all the info. You guys are all terrific. Looks like my dh, dd and I will be able to make more frequent trips to WDW!!!!

You, living in central MA, have the option of either Providence or Hartford. Often one is much less expensive than the other, also, look into flying into Tampa. It is just about an hour away and the flights can vary in price.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by BobH
We usually go somewhere within the DVC system - OKW, Vero and HH twice a year. This year my wife and I will make two trips. My daughter made one. I have been using American Airlines because I have a Citibank Credit card that allows miles and I run my kids college tuition through the cards but obviously arrange for other type loans or cash before interest payments occur. I usually have had enough miles to get at lest one free ticket per trip and I buy one because I can build milage if a ticket is purchased in my name. Now that my college bills are coming to an end I am considering changing over to Sothwests program.
It appears to take less milage per ticket than American. About $19,000 vs $25,000.

The only thing I didn't like about the program is that the credits you gain towards free tickets seem to expire every year. If Gail Hayden is still reading this post maybe she could shed some light on this?

Hi Bob,
If you book online you get double credits towards a free ticket.
The entire program is listed right here: http://southwestair.com/rapid_rewards/about_rr.html

The downside is the fact that you have only one year to get the free ticket.

 

[jx3smom]

We have gone 13 times and have driven 11 of them. We leave between midnight and 1 AM and drive straight through. We are usually there by 7-8pm. We stay our first night at Country Inns and Suites at Calypso Cay (free using reward pts from our gold pts visa card). We check in to BCV or BWV early the next day.

 

[beccasmom]

We always drive, although one year we took the train because Amtrak had a two-for-one deal. It was during Spring Break, though and I probably would not want to take the train again during that time!

When we have more time, I really would like to drive down; so far, I haven't been able to convince anyone that a Disney Road Trip would be an excellent adventure! We always been able to snag a good deal on USAirways and we live so close to the airport that flying has always won out so far.

 

[twinmomplus2]

thanks Gail! Now that I know I won't hesitate to book my fare for next August. If I know I can rebook at the lower fare. As for last August we did not do a group rate. In my family it kind of goes like this.... Hey we are going to disney. really not me all Disney'd out. (2) days later hey, changed my mind, can you book me? this goes on for weeks. all the stragglers eventually come around!

 

[Ilovedisney]

I agree with RoutemanDan. "2.5 hrs vs 18-22 hrs" is all I need to hear. Besides, with all the stress of "watching out for the other guy" on the road, we don't find driving enjoyable any more. I feel as though I am literally dodging bullets when I am on the road lately. It has become much too stressful. We like getting on the plane on Long Island and spending quality time at our destination, rather than "dodging the bullets" on the roadways. Also, unless we are taking others along, it is just the two of us anyway. All of our children are grown, and grandchildren have not arrived yet (Feb will be 1st), so if we take one of the family along, we are glad to pay their airfare. With the price of gas and tolls, the cost of a hotel room for an overnight stop to shower and freshen up, wear and tear on the car, not to mention wear and tear on us, it is probably actually cheaper to fly! Southwest Rapid Rewards is a big help also - we have their credit card and Amex also lets you transfer points towards a Southwest ticket. It's a "no-brainer" for us